coins
by arisu rin
Summary: —there was a rattle in the air::lucian/cynthia::for bijjou.


**disclaimer: **Pokémon is not mine.  
><strong>for: <strong>Bijjou. I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING THIS UP SOONER. THIS PAIRING IS HARD TO WRITE FOR ME. (also my internet hasn't been working, but I know I should stop the excuses.)  
><strong>pairing: <strong>Cynthia/Lucian.  
><strong>notes: <strong>I feel as the sub-romance plot thing was better than the actual romance. /headdesk.  
>Also, I hope it's to everyone's liking. And yes, some lines are said from the game.<br>I haven't really written in a while, so I'm quite nervous how this one turned out.

**coins**  
>—there was a rattle in the air.<p>

They were nothing, but opposite sides of the same coin. Neither could exist without the other; together they were whole. But only one side could remain dominant and the other must live in the other's shadow. It was a lonely life, and sometimes he wondered how this started with just a flip of a coin.

They met when they were children. She was from Celestic Town, raised with the ancient history that surrounds the area and was always drawn to myths and legends. She was Cynthia, the girl with a Gible. He was just a boy from another town, with a Ralts in his hand.

They were always rivals, and as rivals one always had to live as the other's shadow. And sometimes Lucian hated her for it; he hated being seen as weaker than her. He hated being unable to protect her, for she was the dragon tamer— he was just a prince.

It would never work.

But he still hoped.

In Canalave Library, he saw glimpses of her. Her fingers would caress the bindings of the books as she walked past, before selecting a book from the shelves. (It was always the same book, he noticed. It was one of the legends and the history of the region.)

There were times when she would sit across from him, and it would take him back in time. And suddenly, he would see that girl he once knew, the one who he wanted to protect. It was rather startling, seeing that girl again and when she asked, "Lucian, what are you reading?"

He would merely smile in reply and say,

"I was just reading a collection of observations on Pokémon in the wild. One article addresses the question why Pokémon would go into a Poké Ball. According to this article, this behavior is based on instinct. A weakened Pokémon will curl up tight in an effort to heal itself. The Poké Ball was invented to take advantage of that protective instinct."

Sometimes, she would laugh at the things he read and say, "Facts won't help you become a better trainer, only love will."

It took a while for him to realize she was right. (Because the more he fought to see her smile, to walk right beside her; to be with her- the stronger he became and no amounts of books could make him that strong.)

She became champion a few years after that, and the first battled she had as a champion was the last battle he had as a trainer. He was now part of the Elite Four, not exactly a trainer, but something more. Sometimes, he talked to Caitlin— the silent girl in the Battle Castle.

Caitlin was a silent girl with a dangerous temper, which is why she had Darach battle on her behalf. Lucian was there to help her control her powers, which erupted whenever she lost a battle and got angry. Sometimes, Caitlin with her impatience and demanding princess like behavior would somehow be more demure as she looked into the sky. She spoke of someone named Grimsley, a dark type master of the Elite Four in Unova.

She spoke in hushed tones with him, stating that she had to get better so she could finally meet this person. That person, the dark knight of Unova region was apparently the one who stole Caitlin's heart. And he could see why she spoke quietly and made Darach battle. Because Darach is in love with her, and she wants to make him used to being in charge of the castle, while she goes off to Unova— and the day she left, he saw the butler broken.

There are times when Caitlin spoke to Cynthia, lending her a villa in the region. He doesn't really know what conversations are being held there, full of secret girl talk and whatnot. But when he saw Caitlin at some party filled with Elite Four members and champions, he smiled as he saw her. She smiled back as he noticed her holding hands with a man known as Grimsley.

He didn't really see Caitlin after that.

He went back to Canalave Library a few days later, and saw her reading. With a sudden burst of nostalgia, he asked her what she's reading.

"I was just reading a collection of essays on the science-fiction genre. There was one quote attributed to a novelist I found remarkable. "Though love may lose, kindness wins." I find that philosophical and, at the same time, compassionate."

He chuckled, because the burst of nostalgia has surged through both of them and those words could have been the words he said many years ago. She looked at him and smiled, "Even though we are at opposite sides of the coins, doesn't mean we can't be together."

"It means we can try."

—**fin**.


End file.
